Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what systems are in place to ensure that disinfectant products sold for use in stables and farms are proved to kill the equine influenza virus.

Products approved for use under ‘General Orders’ on the Defra Approved Disinfectant list are likely to be effective if used at the recommended General Orders dilution rates. This list is published on GOV.UK at http://disinfectants.defra.gov.uk/DisinfectantsExternal/Default.aspx?Module=ApprovalsList_SI. Equine influenza is not a notifiable disease in the UK and there is therefore no published statutory list of disinfectants approved specifically for equine influenza disease control. Regulations applying to consumer products mean that disinfectant manufacturers need to be able to substantiate claims made about the effectiveness of their products, including those specified for equine influenza.

Equine influenza viruses are not very persistent in the environment and these viruses are readily inactivated by disinfectants. The same general advice for all disinfectants also applies to those used in relation to equine influenza. To ensure disinfectants are at their most effective, they must be diluted with fresh clean water and the area thoroughly cleaned and as necessary degreased prior to the application of the disinfectant. Disinfectant in footbaths/foot dips should be regularly replaced and this is particularly important during wet weather when the active ingredient in foot dips can get diluted by rainwater, or if it gets contaminated with soil or organic matter. Equipment and footwear should ideally be washed with clean water to remove gross contamination before disinfectant is applied, as the active ingredient of most products is inactivated by organic material. Boots and footwear should be scrubbed with a brush, with particular attention paid to the treads on the soles of footwear and boots.